So a new album named mysterium in 2013 and a bunch of reissues. Ofcourse im looking forward to the new album. The Hellwell was a definite step up compared to playground which was never close to matching Voyager although it was still a decent album. I also dont own Metal yet. Ill prob get most of these reissues i dont have yet.

I'm very curious and a little nervous. Three albums in rapid fire succession is a daunting task, but if anyone's up to it it's my personal lord and savior Mark Shelton. I definitely agree that Hellwell is better than Playground, but I've found that they work really well together. Listening to one usually makes me want to put on the other for some reason, like two halves of the same weirdo coin.

You've got to get Metal man! Cage of Mirrors and Queen of the Black Coast are two of their best songs ever, and the others are no slouches. Enter the Warrior's main riff sounds like a drunk (and possibly injured) viking loping into a battle. edit: On further reflection I'm almost sure you've heard the album even if you don't own it.

Playground ruled, and Hellwell reminds me of like Courts of Chaos 2012 XL or something, man... Which is awesome!

This is the actual message from Facebook:

"MANILLA ROAD - New Record Deal in Europe! We are happy to announce that we have a signed with Golden Core/ZYX for Europe. I know that most Manilla Road Fans would have expected us signing with one of those (great and important) underground labels or at least with one of those long-lasting metal companies, so to some it must appear to be an unusual choice. Fact is that their labelboss is a Manilla Road fan since the eighties and he really wanted to sign us. That´s very important for a band (or it should be!). On the other hand Golden Core is a very strong and powerful label within the company ZYX, who have a perfect distribution system. Releases like Running Wild, Wacken DVDs/BluRays/CDs, Subsignal, Megahertz and ex-Accept singer U.D.O. hit the German charts. Golden Core will also guarantee strong promotion activities that are being handled by the agency CMM.

Golden Core/ZYX will not just release the new album MYSTERIUM in early 2013 but also the whole back catalog (except of two albums). Some of the classic releases will contain bonus tracks. "METAL" is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, "Crystal Logic" in 2013.

For the record: During the last 12 years most of the Manilla Road CDs (new and reissues) were import items here in Europe. Even the world gets smaller and smaller it means that many CDs weren´t released in Europe. Same with "Playground of the Damned". With the new deal you will soon also find the CDs in European shops and not just in online shops or through mailorder companies.

The official press-release by CMM was sent out today to all the media. PS: High Roller Records will go on handling the vinyls of Manilla Road, also in future!"

Wow, that's pretty fast. I'm wondering what the new one will be like, given that each Manilla Road album tends to be pretty distinct...the name hearkens back to Mystification, so is it going to be another Poe-themed power/thrash album? Or is that just a coincidence? Anyway I'm definitely looking forward to it. Shelton hasn't let me down yet.

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MorbidBlood wrote:

So the winner is Destruction and Infernal Overkill is the motherfucking skullcrushing poserkilling satan-worshiping 666 FUCK YOU greatest german thrash record.

Killer news, I loved Playground of the Damned so I'm looking forward how this will end up. I got a couple of the LP reissues, but I can't keep up . Should get Spiral Castle soon though, probably my favourite from their newer ones.

Good. They're one of the gaping holes in my collection, so this will be a good chance to start seriously collecting them.

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John_Sunlight wrote:

Gif logos are a rare and special thing. They should be reserved only for truly exceptional and rare and special and important bands, bands like Blind Guardian and... Blind Guardian. This should be in the rules.

Cool mang. Starting to get into these guys, hopefully it's in the vein of Mystification or Voyager and not in the vein of Metal Definitely check it out and I'll have to snap up Open the Gates with it too.

Metal is probably my least favorite MR album other than the debut, but I do understand its appeal among those who like proto-metal and hard rock; it's just not really my style. Enter the Warrior is a cool song, though. My favorite Shelton vocals might actually be on MotB; despite the fact that it's not one of my favorite albums, his tone is just so raw and emotive on that one.

MotB was actually the first Manilla Road I listened to and when I later heard Atlantis Rising and Spiral castle, I was floored. Shelton has always had quite the knack to transcend sug-genre limitations and create a quickly distinctive mood and style for each record. Looking forward to the new one.

Haven't listened to Playground yet but the Hellwell album is one of my personal bests for 2012!

Yeah, the psychedelic and progressive influences are what I love most about the first four albums (After Midnight, Invasion, Mark Of The Beast, Metal). Obviously Metal was more metallic than the previous three, but you're right, it does sound more psychedelic than what came after.

Shelton sounded great on Open the Gates when he wasn't using his normal singing voice, and even sounded decent on some of their newer material notably Voyager when he hit those falsettos (if that wasn't the newer guy that is). I would worship at the feet of this band and own every album if the poor fellow didn't suffer from chronic laryngitis, lord knows they make incredible heavy metal but I just can't get fully into their material in spite of owning all of their pivotal albums. Great news though and I'll be sure to pick up some of the reissues when they are released.

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Malignanthrone wrote:

Thing is, Suicide Silence actually are more sonically massive than a good 95% of all the death metal bands in the Archives! Not metal, sure, but definitely a lot more brutal.

Under_Starmere wrote:

Manowar aren't the Kings of Metal. They're pretenders to a throne that doesn't exist.!

always happy to hear from Manilla Road. Nary a bad record....they're all fresh and will stand the test of time! Playground was a bit old school...they've always been "old-school" but you remember the brave epic motions of "Atlantis Rising" and "Spiral Castle" that bled down a bit to "Gates Of Fire" and heavily on "Voyager"? I'd like though if they took an approach similar to "Mystification" with this one. That record took me the longest time to apprecaite but when it clicked...it was LOVE!

I actually agree with caspian here. I'm not big on the first album either, I've always felt that it was Crystal Logic where they found their way. Having said that, any reissue of Manilla Road is good news by me.

Manilla road is gaining momentum because people are slowly realizing that it is the best band ever.Yes

Actually more seriously. I think several factors helped make manilla road and similar sounding bands more popular. Its festivals like kit, their never dying fanbase in greece, Helstar touring constantly in europe and the old school metal "revival".

There is a reason I'm snatching up the original pressing vinyls now... before they get way too expensive for anyone to buy them... the increasing popularity should make my collection skyrocket in value.

But I am so freaking excited for another album. Playground was a bit of a let down for me. I would love to hear something on par with Voyager or, even better, Gates of Fire.